The patient was referred by KK Women's and Children’s Hospital of Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City's Tu Du Hospital and Children's Hospital 1 for treatment, due to the unavailability of this advanced procedure in Singapore.

Vietnamese doctors perform a heart surgery on a fetus at the Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

This case marks the ninth fetal cardiac intervention conducted in HCMC, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus's extremely early gestational age – only weighing just 600 grams, and the severity of the condition as diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening condition known as aortic atresia.

The 41-year-old mother is expecting her first child in September 2025 after more than 10 years of infertility, thanks to in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Her pregnancy journey has been difficult. Singaporean doctors diagnosed the fetus with a severe congenital heart defect, posing a high risk of stillbirth.

The patient underwent thorough fetal cardiac assessment at Children's Hospital 1, which confirmed the original diagnosis. The medical teams from the two Vietnamese hospitals then held a virtual consultation with leading experts from Australia and France. All agreed on the diagnosis and the need for urgent intervention to save the fetus.

The fact that a leading hospital in Singapore proactively referred a patient to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment reflects not only trust in local medical expertise but also ASEAN's recognition of Vietnam's advanced fetal medicine capabilities, said Tang Chi Thuong, director of HCMC Health Department.

This marks an important milestone in the development of fetal medicine and advanced medical techniques in HCM City, reaffirming the southern metropolis's determination to become a leading specialized medical hub in Southeast Asia, he added.

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